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I am constantly surprised how my high quality AOC monitor in the observatory renders my images. They look fine, subtle and detailed on the imaging monitor. Which is driven by a high resolution ASUS laptop. [3840x2160]
When I look at the same images on my Samsung HD monitor, [1920x1080] on my indoor PC, I am always disappointed. The indoor PC is not very old but is "only" HD. I just plugged in the Samsung into the laptop HDMI socket instead of the PC but the difference in PQ was minor.
Here are two examples of the same original image. The last to be captured as cloud robbed me of late afternoon improvements in seeing conditions.
The detail you see in the images was just beginning to be seen steadily on the imaging monitor. Rather than only appearing after being laundered through the familiar image handling software.
So called "lucky imaging." It sorts through the 500 frame videos I capture at the telescope. Then filters them down to only the best 75 images in a single, still image. Which is then sharpened in ImPPG. To [hopefully] bring out details which were never even seen on the imaging monitor.
Once they are sharpened in ImPPG I finish them off in PhotoFiltre. A relatively simple image handling software much like MS paint. It does not have the sophisticated filters of PhotoShop or other paid for softwares. Which is just as well. I could never remember what each symbol does and why I'd want to use it. I just don't have the memory capacity to use them effectively. So a quick "spin" in PhotoFiltre is the limit of what I can achieve without a brain transplant.
The image [above right] was considered fine for posting on my blog. Until, that is, I looked at my blog on my Samsung 28" HD PC monitor indoors. The difference was night and day. The image above looked completely washed out!
So I used Histogram, Gamma, Contrast, Colour saturation, etc. in Photofiltre. To make the image look like I remembered from the 27" AOC imaging monitor. The difference in detail is amazing at the expense of some darkening. Just look at the extra detail in the crossed filaments and surface texture.
As an experiment I brought the 27" AOC [2560x1440] indoors and hooked it up via HDMI to the PC. As soon as I maximised Gamma on the AOC there wasn't that much difference in PQ to the Samsung HD. This was in a side by side comparison indoors on the computer desk. The AOC had been set to Gamma2 instead of Gamma level 1. The darker image had reproduced "superior" imagery when driven by the laptop. Resolution and image scale are both adjusted to suit on the laptop in W10 under "Display". There being a mismatch in resolution between the higher res laptop and the medium high res AOC screen.
During the afternoon I replaced the foolishly dangling, light bulbs with surface mounted, black plastic sockets. It was far too windy to open the dome in any orientation but north. I am using two Philips 7W LED bulbs at the zenith to light the dome when the slit is closed. Which isn't often but the light is useful when I am working on the telescopes or mountings.
Having the extra work light doesn't matter when I am imaging the moon. The lights are deliberately placed just beyond the zenith to avoid lighting up the insides of the telescope dewshields. It feels very odd to have the dome slit facing north towards the overhanging trees. Because I am so used to solar imaging from east to west via south.
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